A BLAENAU Ffestiniog man who spat at a police officer after busting the door of a pub and stealing cash from the till of a restaurant has escaped being sent straight to jail.

Gary Donaldson, of 7 Garreg Ddu, Trem y Bwlch, appeared before Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on 15 September for sentencing.

The 56-year-old had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to burglary by entering Dino’s restaurant in Llandudno on 23 June this year and stealing £400 from the till.

He also admitted damaging the front door of the Nevill public house in Llandudno on the same day, as well as later assaulting PC Parry while at Glan Clwyd Hospital.

Magistrates, sentencing Donaldson to a total of 44 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, said the offences “were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified”.

Magistrates said the seriousness of the offence was exacerbated by Donaldson’s previous record and the “spit on an emergency worker”.

Williams must pay a total of £530 in compensation to the pub and restaurant.

He must also instructed to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85.